Ellie Kabayama
Lethbridge Sports was out covering the back-to-back Horns men’s and women’s soccer teams facing off against the UofC Dino’s today, October 2nd, 2021. The women played first, playing the Dinos’ 6th place squad. The Horns dropped the match 3-1, with Lucy Mundy picking up the sole goal for the Horns on a second half penalty kick. Ellie Kabayama talked to Lethbridge Sports after the game to catch us up on where the Horns are at halfway through their season.
“Today wasn’t the result we wanted,” Ellie says, “but I felt like today showed a lot of potential. It was a hard fought game so you can’t go away too disappointed.” She thinks Mundy’s penalty goal in the 2nd half was a key moment in the game. “It was definitely exciting she could put it away. We could see how we could close the gap with them [Calgary]. It’s nice to see we have that level of competition and push for tomorrow.” The Pronghorns complete a home-and-home weekend with the Dinos up in Calgary on October 3rd.
Ellie normally plays fullback for the Horns but was filling in as a center back against the Dinos. “I prefer fullback.” Ellie tells us. “I just like the style of play we have. From fullback I’m able to be more of a contributor making runs up the line and it’s a good feeling to stick a tackle against someone and add that defensive side as well!” Ellie also takes many of the team’s throw-in opportunities and free kicks. “When I was playing fullback a big part of my game was throwing the ball in and using the chances closer to the net to get us corners from the throw. Also I would just try to get the ball across and advance forward to create opportunities.”
The games today were played against a backdrop of Canada’s first observance of Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th. The teams observed a moment of silence and took a knee to start the game in recognition of the victims of Canada’s residential school history. “I think it’s very important.” Ellie tells us about honoring the survivors. “What happened was very upsetting and frustrating and evoked a lot of emotions. The fact is USport and our league and university play a big part in our community, it’s good we have an opportunity to utilize what we do for those people who are going through a lot right now.”
Like many players, Ellie is happy to be back playing, and as one of the Horns veteran players from before COVID, has some perspective on how this season has been different from others. “It’s different for us because our league is quite condensed. We have a double header every weekend and other teams don’t really have that. The girls were a little bit upset when we saw the schedule because we lose the traveling and the flights and the long distance games. But Alberta is a competitive league so it’ll better us in the long run.” For many of the athletes we’ve spoken to, the road game experience is one the things they love most about playing and due to the challenges of the ongoing forth wave, that has been minimized for teams as much as possible.
Ellie is optimistic about the second half of the Horns season, “I think moving forward we have a lot of potential. If we play the way we did today against different teams we can definitely pull better results than our previous games. I think going forward we can be more competitive within the Alberta league.”
Off the field, Ellie is in her final year of a Math Major at UofL with a minor in Religious Studies. As she looks forward, she isn’t sure what her future will look like. “I’m not sure what the future plans are.” Ellie shares. “I’m graduating this year. Depending on how this season goes I’d like to apply to the educational program here at UofL and possibly come back for a few more seasons because I have 2 years of eligibility. The door’s open not sure what I’m going to do.”
Ellie in a homegrown Lethbridge product who has had her whole athletic career in Lethbridge. “I played soccer with the LFC and AMSL. Prior to that my family is big on multisport. I played junior high / high school badminton, cross country, really everything I could. I definitely say I identify with athletics.” Ellie is a member of the Kabayamas, one of Lethbridge’s sports dynasty families. “My father is a former Olympian, he played with UofC and was a Hurricanes coach. My mother is very athletic – she played basketball, volleyball, and ran track in school. She even played volleyball for Pronghorns volleyball back when they had a volleyball team.” Ellie herself feels a strong connection to Lethbridge and the local community which contributed to her decision to become a Pronghorn. “UofL was close to home, so that was a good choice for school for me, then I had the opportunity present itself to play with the Horns which was a bonus.”
Ellie credits her parents and teammates for helping her reach her success as an academic athlete. “My parents have always been a huge contributor. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates, coaches or athletic supports at UfoL.”
Ellie is the sister of Josh Kabayama who played with the Lethbridge Bulls this season and was on their WCBL championship squad. We asked her what she thought about watching her brother win the championship. “It was awesome. He had a rough patch with his appendectomy but it was great they - both he and the team - rallied and were able to pull that win off. It was really awesome they were able to pull that off and still play despite having no American players at the last minute.”
We here at Lethbridge Sports wish Ellie and her teammates the best of luck in their second game against Calgary this weekend and will catch them for their next home game next weekend.